


Past Meets Prologue

by Cedara



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Community: Treksoap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-25
Updated: 2006-02-25
Packaged: 2018-08-15 17:24:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8065366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cedara/pseuds/Cedara
Summary: This is a Mirror Universe story, set in the Treksoap version of it. (04/04/2005)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: Thanks to Mindy for her beta help. All remaining mistakes are mine.  


* * *

The 'Alex Andreyevich' was a proud ship, good to its owners and their fathers and grandfathers before them. She served the Russian syndicate well, holding its niche between being forced to serve the emperor and unlawful piracy status. Over the years, the Rostov family managed to acquire a good name among its fellow syndicate members, gaining some wealth in the process, which wasn't lost on their crew.

For their children, Nicolai and Michael, life had been easy, having a ship as their playground. While Nicolai was the prospective heir to the captaincy, Michael grew up a rather sheltered life, shy and withdrawn sometimes, never quite interested in anything much beyond doing puzzles. With the death of Nicolai, Michael's life changed. Now he was destined to learn the family trade.

* * *

Reading the chapter on traditional Imperium battle tactics for the fifth time, Michael threw down the PADD in defeat. Why was this so hard to do? He had read all this stuff about command rules, battle tactics and ship organization, but still—it bored him most of the time. He yearned to get back to Engineering, to help Joshua with the recalibrations he'd started this week, but no—it was study time and his parents remained firm on him upholding his schedule.

Engineering...it was a lure for him. Not just on one side—on two, actually. Although he sometimes thought that only his love for everything he could tinker with came before his insatiable need to get close to Joshua.

Joshua...a puzzle he wasn't able to solve. Since the engineer had found out that Michael had a knack for fixing things—to the surprise of the Rostovs'—Joshua had been starting to school the younger man in all things Engineering. Well, not just Engineering. How they'd come so far as to fall into bed together was something that still amazed Michael, no matter how often it happened. Joshua was older than him, about ten years, as far as Michael could find out. Oddly his parents had accepted their relationship, even though Michael still cringed at his mother's wording of 'this kind of education', as she so vaguely put it. Michael knew well that whatever he and Joshua had might not last. Still, having sex with Joshua as well as his own small stunts in Engineering more than often saved Michael's sanity, especially when his dad insisted on making him do yet another bridge shift—which he hated.

If...sometimes the thought was too tempting...if Nicolai hadn't died in one of the Emperor's torture chambers...maybe he would have worked side by side with Joshua. Now he couldn't. The Bridge was to be his first priority. Not Engineering as he would have liked it to be.

* * *

After his bridge duty and a meal, Michael strolled around the ship for a while, feeling unsettled. When he finally couldn't wait any longer, he made his way to the officers quarters, a deck above his own, knowing well that Joshua was off duty by now.

The door opened for him almost immediately. Joshua was wearing a bathrobe, having apparently showered just a short while ago, as his hair still seemed quite damp.

"Hey," Michael said.

"Hey yourself," Joshua smiled, stepping aside to let him in.

"I didn't wanna wait longer," Michael said, as the door closed behind him.

"Did you do your homework?" Joshua asked.

"I've read up on the theory for the calibrations, so I can come and help you with that tomorrow."

"You know perfectly well I didn't mean that, Michael," Joshua frowned at him.

"Yes, I know." Michael sighed. "I did that too. Battle tactics theory is just so fucking boring."

Joshua moved up closer to him, pulled Michael into his arms and smiled. "You just can't let your parents give you an incentive to make them forbid your coming to engineering. It would hate not being able to teach you anymore."

Michael smiled. "'You' would hate not being able to fuck me bent over your office table, Joshua."

"Don't tell me you didn't love it." Joshua smirked. "Sometimes I tend to think you have a kinky side, Michael."

Michael shrugged. "Whatever gets me laid."

"Oh yeah?" Joshua took his hand and led Michael to the bed. "Let's see what we can do about that..."

* * *

Feeling all sated, Michael relaxed in his lover's arms, who lay spooned up behind him.

"You okay?" Joshua asked softly. "I really should have let you take the lead this time around."

"Nah, it's okay," Michael answered. "I kinda like it when you pamper me that way."

"Pamper?" Michael felt Joshua chuckle lightly behind him. "I think I saw you totally loose control tonight, Michael."

"We just had sex, Joshua." Despite his words, Michael felt himself blushing.

"I think it was more than that. That was amazing. You never let me control you this much before."

"It was just sex. Really." Michael said softly, feeling himself getting cuddled closer, as sleep started to catch up with him.

"All right," Joshua whispered, feeling Michael doze off. "Sleep it is then. Besides, we've got a long day ahead tomorrow..."

* * *

There was a warm hand on his tummy, stroking softly. Something at his back was nice too, comfortable, sized just right to let him fit in well.

"Mmmmmmmh," Michael murmured, awake now, but maintaining the semblance of being still half asleep. "This feels nice."

"You need to wake up, though," Joshua said softly.

Turning toward the voice, Michael carefully opened an eye. "Do I have to?"

"I'm afraid so, Michael," Joshua answered.

"Damn," Michael muttered out, opening the other eye as well. He blinked several times. "Just when it was getting comfortable." Leaning over to Joshua, he brought his own body in full contact with his lover's, moving on top of him. "I really think we have a bit more time," he mused, starting to kiss Joshua softly at first, then more demandingly as he felt his lover respond.

Their tongues duelling, Michael felt his body react quickly to Joshua's, their dicks providing a slick ground, as their interaction became more heated. Within a short time, they were both close to the edge, neither of them seemingly able to let loose. Only as Joshua uttered a short love you, Michael came, his lover shortly following.

Minutes later, as their breathing had calmed down to even levels, Michael muttered, still half laying on Joshua's chest, "We have to shower."

"We can share," Joshua mused, and as he noticed Michael looking at him curiously, he added, "and no, just to shower, Michael." He smiled. "I need some breakfast. We have a long day ahead of us."

* * *

As Joshua had the advantage of not needing to change into fresh clothes, he was in the crew's mess earlier than Michael. The moment Michael entered, he looked out for the engineer and finally noticed him sitting at a main table with some fellow crew members from Engineering. On noticing him, Joshua smiled, and Michael was almost on his way over to that table, when his father called out for him.

"Michael Nikolaievich Rostov, stop looking around and come over for breakfast!"

On hearing his father's command, Michael stiffened, turned toward the captain's table and complied, "Yes, Sir."

Nicolai Antonovich was a rather traditional man, resorting to older naming criteria for his family as well as himself. So, whenever Michael was spoken to, he wasn't just Michael like he was for everyone else. No, for his father he was Michael Nicolaievich, and when Nicolai Rostov was annoyed with his son, he added the family name on top.

His father had shown the same behaviour with Michael's deceased brother Nicolai, always addressing his firstborn with both his names during normal circumstances. Of course, this caused a doubling of names, which Michael, as a child, had found rather funny, despite the added suffix. But after some additional work given to him by his father, Michael had quickly learned not to show his amusement about this matter to him.

Now, as an adult, Michael regarded the use of middle names as simply annoying. He already considered dropping the patronym, but so far, he had kept it, though not because of his father, but more in honour of his dead brother. Of course, Nicolai Antonovich didn't know about any of this. Like so many other things, this was one of the topics Michael never could broach to his father.

Seated at the captain's table, Michael was immediately provided a plate of fresh, hot blinies by one of the stewards. Normally he didn't eat very much at breakfast and rather took his main meal at noon or in the late afternoon, but today was different. Last night had made him hungry enough to eat at least half a dozen of the traditional pancakes. He took one of the blinies from the staple with the help of his fork and put that on his plate. Then, he grabbed the marmalade dispenser and began to smear some its sweet ingredient on the still warm bliny. Folding it over carefully with his spork and his knife, he finally started cutting out bite-sized pieces and ate. Personally he would have preferred to roll the bliny up and eat it with his fingers, but he knew well that his father found that disgusting.

For some people there would have been interesting breakfast conversation to make, but not in the Rostov family. His own thoughts still lingering with last night and the events of the morning in Joshua's quarters, Michael was startled when his father spoke to him.

"Nice to see you hungry for a change, son."

"Sir?"

"I think you're on your sixth bliny already. Haven't seen that for a while from you."

"Well, I am hungry this morning, father."

"Good. Good," Nicolai Antonovich said. "You will need your strength today. I have changed your schedule." For a moment Michael dreaded he wouldn't be able to help Joshua at all in engineering today, because his father had one of his ideas. Stiffening for a second, he paused eating and looked at the older man, who continued talking, not noticing Michael's discomfort.

"You are going to start in Engineering today. Then I need you to take over the afternoon as well as the evening shift on the bridge. I'll be in some business negotiations in the afternoon and your mother will host a dinner for our guests afterwards."

"Of course, father. Who will take over for me for the night?"

"Either myself or Mr. Hamilton."

"When will my bridge shift start?"

"14:00. Plan in some time for a lunch, you won't be off before midnight, son. And remember to get up early tomorrow, you're to help your mother with the plans for the remembrance service for Nicolai. She is going to start with that at 08:00. Be punctual."

"Yes, father. I will."

"Good." Nicolai Antonovich rose, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "Finish eating, son. I'll see you tomorrow morning for breakfast here."

"Yes, Sir."

Michael stared at his half-empty plate, the remains of the bliny sitting on it like an accusation, the red marmalade oozing out from between its layers. He'd almost forgotten it. Nicolai's death day was coming up next week. It meant that his father would be even more carefully supervising Michael's performance on the bridge, probably reminding his son daily where his duty lay. And it meant longer shifts on the bridge, less time in engineering. Michael sighed. Next week would be painful.

"Why you're sitting there with a face as long as a fiddle, Michael?"

Without Michael realizing it, Joshua had come over to the captain's table. Looking up, he smiled slightly at the engineer. "Double shift on the bridge for me later."

"Ah, but you still get to work with me in engineering," Joshua said, smiling.

"You knew?"

"Yeah, the captain told me when I came into the mess." Joshua glanced at Michael's plate. "You've finished eating?"

Glancing at his plate for a second, he answered, "Yes, I think so."

"Then come. We have work to do."

* * *

Michael couldn't explain why, but every time he went into engineering, he felt his mood lighten. He knew well the warp core looked odd compared to the other images from imperial or private ships he'd seen. It was rectangular, with a mezzanine at on of its longer sides, steps on both ends leading up to its walkway. On the upper level were the control monitors for the warp reaction, particle density, temperature...he was sure he'd be able to find them blind if needed.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're almost gaping, Michael," Joshua said, smiling at him.

"Just appreciating the scenery, Joshua," Michael answered, smiling slightly. "So, what are we to do today?"

"First we install the backup plasma converters and the relays for this deck. After calibrating them to meet the specs, we'll start on the relays for the other two decks. With your help, Michael, I'm sure we could get this all done today."

Michael grinned. "I love your optimism."

"I know what you're capable of, Michael," Joshua said rather seriously, then added with a smile, "C'mon, let's get to work."

* * *

Less than three hours later, they had finished installing the backup plasma converters, Joshua complimenting Michael on his quick and efficient work.

"If you ever need a job, Michael, you can always hire on in engineering. They'd be stupid not to take you."

"You think?" Michael smiled.

"Yes, I do." Joshua grinned. "Let's see how you'll do on the relays..."

Considering that he never did it before, Michael found the installation of the first backup plasma relay amazingly easy, fascinated by its impeccability. Yet, it left him wondering how anyone could ever find technical stuff boring, as he suspected his father did, whenever Joshua gave his weekly engineering report to the captain.

"Okay, got it installed. Calibration is next, Joshua?"

"Yes. Remember what you've read, Michael," Joshua said. "Watch the flux controller, then look for the oscillating frequency matrix. Make sure the configuration meets the exact specs, before you open the plasma coupling." Joshua continued calibrating the relay he was working on, leaving Michael to deal with his.

Seeing the numbers on the flux controller move, he pictured the oscillating frequency in his mind. Making minor adjustments via the controls, Michael waited for it to reach the values he read about in his books. Finally, it met the required specifications.

"Joshua," Michael called out, "I think I have it."

Not letting his eyes move away from the controls, he felt the engineer come up behind him. "You do. Very good." Michael was almost sure he'd heard Joshua smile. "Go ahead."

"Opening the plasma couplings now," Michael said, pushing a few controls. With satisfaction, he saw the frequency stay within the parameters. He watched it for a few moments, then turned towards Joshua. "Now on to the next two?"

"Yes, but you will do both, and I'll just watch."

Michael grinned, "Cool."

* * *

In a very short time, Michael had finished with the two other relays in engineering, Joshua being very pleased with him. For the installation of the relays on the other decks, they divided the duties, both solitarily accomplishing their tasks as quickly. After a brief check via the comm system, they met back in the main engineering room.

"Hey," Michael said, smiling, as he watched Joshua return, toolbox in hand.

"Oh, good," Joshua said, smiling in return, "you've put yours away already." On seeing Michael nod, he added, "Let me just put mine away and we can start on preparing the backup system for its first test run." Noticing Michael following him to the storage room, he added in explanation, "We'll do the test after we've contacted the bridge and every other system on the ship. We'll give them a buffer time, in which they can save whatever work they're doing, just on the possibility that the change to backup won't run smoothly."

"Okay," Michael said, "Fine with me."

"Remember that chapter in your book about warp core installations," Joshua continued explaining, "how main and backup are to be separate?" At Michael's nodding, he added, "We're going to shut down the main system for a bit, and try to see if our new backup with the impulse system kicks in automatically. If that works as it should, we've done everything right."

"And if it doesn't, we've got the logs to check what went wrong."

"Exactly." Joshua smiled. "And you're going to help me with the shutting down process."

* * *

About half an hour later, after notifying the bridge for the exact time of the shutdown, Joshua and Michael were on the task of manually configuring the last of the backups. Finally, they were ready—just in time.

"Engineering to the bridge," Joshua commed the bridge. "Captain, we're ready."

"Acknowledged, Mr. Wynard," Michael heard his father say. "I'll notify the crew. Start after you've seen the yellow alert come online."

"Aye, Sir. Wynard out." Turning to Michael, Joshua added, "You heard him. Get ready."

Less than a minute later, Nicolai Antonovich had everyone's attention with his comm alert all over the ship and shortly after the ship was switched to yellow alert, Joshua and Michael started on the shutdown sequence for the warp core.

With the ship slowly powering down, Michael heard the room go silent, the vibration from the warp drive ceasing. For a second, everything was silent, and Michael felt as if he was suspended in the air, right over a bottomless pit. Then, something else seemed to start up from deep within and the emergency lights kicked in. A different kind of vibration now seemed to travel through the ship, humming softly and somehow Michael knew they had succeeded.

"Yes!" Joshua exclaimed, echoing Michael's impressions.

"We did it, right?" Michael asked.

Joshua grinned. "Yeah. A bit slow in the start up, but it works just fine. Just as arranged, I'll leave it running for an hour to check where I could tweak it a bit to make it start up faster, but basically we're done. And you," he glanced over at the chronometer in engineering, "should go and get lunch, you're due on the bridge in an hour."

"Aye, Sir." Michael grinned back at him. "You'll explain to me tomorrow if you needed to change anything?"

"You bet I will," Joshua answered. "Now go, love. I'll see you later."

"See you later, Joshua."

And, without knowing these would be the last words they had together, Michael left engineering.

* * *

Lunchtime went by faster than expected and as ordered, Michael showed up on time on the bridge for his duty shift at 14.00.

"Ah, good—you're overly punctual, son. Our guests will arrive soon." Nicolai Antonovich said as Michael arrived on the bridge. Handing him a PADD, he continued, "Make yourself familiar with the current position, we'll stay in this orbit until their ship docks with ours. Once we have them on board, go on the course you find in the PADD. When we reached our destination, wait there until either me or Mr. Hamilton comes up to the bridge with other orders."

"Aye, Sir," Michael said solemnly.

"If you need any assistance, Mr. Hamilton will be available. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to change into formal clothing." He nodded toward Michael, then left the bridge immediately afterwards.

* * *

The docking procedures went well, after a comm signal from launch bay, Michael set the ship on the course his father had given him. The flight went smoothly and within a few hours, they had reached their destination.

"We're at the coordinates, Sir."

"Full-stop, Mr. Meeks," Michael said towards helm.

"Aye."

Michael felt the ship stop and the ever-present vibration from the engine cease to an almost nothingness. Getting up, he walked over to the helm and looked over Mr. Meeks's shoulder as the man noted the coordinates once again.

"Perfect, Mr. Meeks. Hold that position and don't even let the ship move an inch away from it."

"Aye."

In the meantime, the viewscreen came alive again and Michael saw a nebula filling up at least a third of the screen at starboard. It was blue, red and yellow, its shades never very distinct, but rather meshing over into one another.

"Nice one," Michael murmured. Aloud, he added, "And now, we wait."

* * *

After half an hour, Michael was bored, as absolutely nothing was happening. Fifteen minutes later, he considered letting the science station run a few scans of the nebula, when all of a sudden, he got a heads-up from tactical.

"Ship decloaking at aft!" Mr. Smith shouted out.

"On screen," Michael ordered, turning his attention toward the viewscreen.

At first glance, she didn't seem very sleek, more like someone had thrown parts of several ships together, but yet the strange ship appeared to be strong and resilient. She moved toward starboard, passing the dorsal section of the 'Alex Andreyevich', and Michael wondered if this was the ship that would pick up the guests they had taken on board earlier. Although, glancing at his chronometer, Michael considered them a bit too early. Besides, there had been no mention on the PADD that the the ship would be cloaked...

"Polarize the hull plating and get the weapons online, Mr. Smith."

"But Sir..."

"Do it!"

Mr. Smith's answer disappeared in the blast that hit the 'Alex Andreyevich', knocking most of the bridge crew off their feet. The lights on the bridge flickered, went out, then the emergency lights went on.

This was definitely not the ship that was to pick up their guests.

"Direct hit to engineering. Warp drive down. Impulse taking over."

"Return fire!" Michael yelled towards tactical, shoving the thought of Joshua being hurt toward the back of his mind. It was important now to survive and escape. Everything else would come later. Scrambling to his feet, he returned to the captain's chair, trying to get the tactical information needed to ascertain the situation. "Go to defense position alpha! Fire torpedoes once you get a lock!"

The ship moved rather sluggishly, and he saw that they hit their enemy at least twice before the fire was returned with an even stronger force than before, shattering the ceiling on the bridge. Brushing something away that had scratched his head, Michael wondered who the attackers were, how they had weapons with a strength that could match the Imperium's.

Michael yelled again toward tactical, but saw that Mr. Smith was knocked out by a bulkhead that had come down. Struggling to get over to tactical, while telling Mr. Meeks to assume the gamma defense position, Michael shoved some of the debris away that was covering the screens at that station. But before he even could yell any more orders toward helm, or check on Mr. Smith's status, the 'Alex Andreyevich' was hit again. Angrily, Michael saw the screens go blank, and as he turned toward helm, he noticed that Mr. Meeks was hiding under the helm position from the bulkhead that had smashed down right over his seat.

They were dead in the water, with no weapons to defend themselves and no chance to get away.

* * *

Something wet was running down his cheek and with annoyance, Michael noticed it was blood. Ignoring it, he instead tried to get up, wanting to get to the weapons locker on the bridge, but felt his head spin. He waited for a moment, hoping for the world to set itself back on its axis. As he wanted to try again, the doors of the lift opened and three men stormed in, the leading one being a guy not much older than Michael was.

Staring at him, Michael finally realized that these were pirates.

"Don't move a muscle," the leader of the team said as he raised his phase rifle towards Michael. "Or I'll have to shoot you."

Taking in the face and the dark eyes of the leader, as if memorizing him for future reference, Michael was too stunned to say or do anything. Yet, he still noticed that the other two pirates in the leader's company, one of them with black hair and a mustache, the other with a blond ponytail, had their rifles only half-raised, apparently aware that Michael wasn't much of a threat right now.

One of them, mustache guy, who was checking on the other two crewmen of the 'Alex Andreyevich', told the young pirate, "One's dead, the other's hiding under the helm console, Steo."

"Leave the dead one," Steo ordered, "If you can retrieve the other one, bring him to the rest of the merchandise."

Mustache guy snickered, and Michael wondered what would happen to him now.

"What about him?" the one with the blond ponytail asked, pointing at Michael.

"That one's my booty," Steo said.

"I doubt the captain will like that, Steo," ponytail guy remarked.

"Travis said I could choose whatever I want. So I'm taking him," Steo said, very confident.

Michael couldn't believe what he was hearing. Remembering well what he had learned about pirates and how they treated their prisoners, he started to wonder if he'd better not have ended up dead too, like Mr. Meeks.

Barely realizing that Steo finally addressed him directly, Michael tried to concentrate on the pirate's voice as his own vision came in and out of focus.

"I said, what's your name?"

"Michael Rostov."

Then the world turned to black.


End file.
